IOU : 1 Vegan Cupcake Recipe

Image by Klas Fahlén

I owe you one cupcake recipe. Please expect this over the weekend.

See, I was going to bake them last night, but yesterday was a pretty big day for me. IDA rescued 55 long-tailed macaque monkeys from a research lab in New Jersey, and I was working until after 10pm. Then I sat down to find the recipe in Big Red and instead found Army of Darkness on TV. I did a little happy dance and exclaimed "sweet" to myself... maybe the cats heard... who knows really. That pretty much covers the most interesting parts of the story.

But let's not focus on the cupcakes that are to come. I'm going to take this opportunity to answer 3 Questions about The Shannon Household I get a lot. See, there are a lot of you loyal lurkers and bold subscribers/followers out there reading this blog (over 17,000) and I get a lot of emails. So much so that I admit I have a problem keeping up with them all sometimes. I apologize for that. But I hope today's post will answer 3 of the questions I get the most, and hopefully those of you out there who are waiting for a response to your email will read this and forgive me.

What cleaning products do you use in your "Cruelty-Free Kitchen"?

We do our very best to make sure that all the cleaning, health-care, hygiene and beauty products we buy are environmentally friendly and not tested on animals. I am a big fan of Method products and use them whenever I can. I have a Pink Lady Kitchen* and try to use exclusively Method's Pink Grapefruit products. They're an awesome company, I love the fragrance, and I think it's just good planning to make sure the fragrances of your products match, or at least compliment each other. We clean the floor using Method's Lemon Ginger Floor Cleaner with their Micro-Fiber Floor Mop with reusable pads. Sigh. Is there anything better than a clean, cruelty- free, citrus-y kitchen? Answer: nope. Please check out this website if you want find out if your favorite products is cruelty-free.

You seem to use your cast iron skillet a lot; more than Betty calls for. Why's that?

Someday I'll be rich and I'll be able to buy a full set of Green Pots and Pans. We have a few sauce and frying pans and some pots, but they're all of the traditional non-stick variety. It took me a long time to find someone to love and share my life with, (I'm kind of a picky person) and I want Dan to live as long as possible. So I'm trying to avoid using the Teflon covered pots and pans; when they're heated, they emit toxic particles and gasses, linked to countless health problems. I'm pretty sure some of our pots have aluminum in them, which has raised health concerns recently due to it's effect on the human nervous system, and is linked to Alzheimer’s Disease. There are also our stainless steel pots, which contain both chromium and nickel. Both of these substances (in the form they're used to make stainless steel) are considered toxic to humans, causing a wide range of adverse health effects.** There's a question about how much leaches out while you cook... but why take any chances? Cast iron doesn't have any of that, and whatever leaching that happens is iron, which is good for you. Here's an article about it that I thought was helpful.

I can't find Match Vegan Meat in my area, and shipping costs a lot. What can I do?

I'd say the first step is to go to the website and use their Match Locator Search Box in the homepage. If there isn't a retailer near you, you can always ask your local co-op or Whole Foods to start carrying it. That's what they did in Boulder, CO recently. But if you're like me and that's not an option, this is the plan I've been rocking for a while. Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe in Atlanta, GA has Match, HUGE bags of Daiya, and all other types of vegan goodies. Dan and I make a list of things we're going to use for like a month (some stuff lasts like two) and then order in bulk from Cosmo's, making our order over $165. We get free shipping, and a full freezer. Then, we work through that. I know $165 seems like a lot, but I think if you sat down and looked at what you spend in like 1-2 months of groceries, and those huge bags of Diaya... well, you may want to try out our little trick as well.

If your question hasn't been answered - Please be patient. I'm working on it. OX

PS: Don't forget to VOTE! Today I think I would buy this shirt if I won the $25 Gift Certificate to Herbivore, because FUR IS FUCKED. Though I'm falling in love with these.

* That Pink Lady Video is pretty much the best thing ever.

** This info is pulled from the Green Pots website, but I've also read about this in Real Simple, Squeaky Green : Guide to Greening Your Home, and The Green Guide.